A conventional method and apparatus for driving a solenoid valve, described in German Published Unexamined Application No. 38 05 031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,153), includes a coil and a movable armature. To set the armature into motion, current and/or voltage is applied to the coil. For this, the coil is connected with clocked timing via a switching device to a voltage source.
When using such conventional solenoid valves in motor vehicles, different voltages are applied to the solenoid valves. This causes different behavior of the solenoid valve in different operating states. Defined operation of the solenoid valve thus requires additional outlay.